10 Reasons Why Church is Important

Is church important?

The answer is "Yes." But each of us answers that question as much with our actions as we do with our words.

But according to the Bible, church is not only important, it’s necessary. The New Testament commands that Christians not neglect the regular gathering of believers for corporate worship (Heb. 10:25). We must not neglect the assembling of God’s people.

In its context, the word neglect means to treat something as optional, unimportant, or casual. Thus, to not neglect means that we ought not treat the regular assembling of God’s people as something optional, unimportant, or casual. When we fail to prioritize the weekly gathering of God’s people, or if we regularly put something ahead of gathered Sunday worship, we are guilty of neglecting God’s command regarding His people.

According to God, church is essential for our lives.

Here are 10 reasons why God says that church is essential and to be prioritized…

1 - He commands it.

If God commands it, it is essential. (Heb. 10:25)

2 - We need to Hear the Word of God.

The Word of God is a verbal Word. Jesus teaches that our true life is not found in indulging the things of this world, but by eating His Word (Mt. 4:4). And to accomplish this, God gifts His church with shepherding Elders who prepare a meal of that living Word and feed it to the gathered Church each Lord’s Day through their sermons. (Eph. 4; 1 Tim; 2 Tim; 1 Pt 5). The church has the need and responsibility of gathering to hear, submit to, and receive the teaching of its shepherding Elders.

3 - We need to Hear the Word of God With Other Christians.

Fellowship is essential (Acts 2:42-47), and Christians have a need to receive the preached Word alongside other Christians. This is the visible pattern throughout the New Testament. The Jerusalem Church gathered daily for teaching, fellowship, prayer, and sacrament (Acts 2); Paul’s letters address the congregations of Corinth, Philippi, Colossae, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Galatia, and Rome. New Testament Christianity is personal, yes, but it is fundamentally corporate (Phil. 2:12). We must not neglect our need to be with other Christians for Lord’s Day worship.

4 - We need to Eat at the Communion table.

We are invited, again and again, to receive the body and blood of our Lord at the holy Communion Table. That sacred moment, observed together (1 Cor. 11) is an ongoing reminder that we live in Christ. Every time we come to that holy Table, we are invited again to eat and drink, and find ongoing life in Christ.

5 - We need to Sing to God, and Hear Others Doing the Same.

One of the great ministries of the congregation to the Lord and to itself is its corporate voice lifted in song. Too often, we treat singing as optional or unimportant; something done by the choir or the soloists. But the Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear that God’s Word, dwelling in us, leads to song (Col. 3; Eph. 5). Worship through song belongs most essentially and biblically to the voice of the congregation. You need to sing, you need to hear others sing, and your faith family needs to hear YOU sing.

6 - We need Corporate Prayer.

The Apostle Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Again and again in the pages of the New Testament, we find a pattern of prayer: Personal prayer, yes, but corporate prayer in and for the congregation. The first church gathered every day for prayer (Acts 2:42). Paul notes, “Therefore, I want men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands” (1 Tim. 2:8). When we gather, we open the service with prayer, beseeching God to dwell with us. We pray as worship. We need to hear our Elders pray, and learn the methods and movements of prayer from them. We pray as the waters of Baptism stir, as the Word is opened, as we are welcomed to the Table, and as we prepare to depart. We come together to pray.

7 - We need to Confess our Sins.

Psalm 32 observes that “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” We all sin. We all suffer from our sin. And we come together on Sunday mornings, not as a congregation of sinless people, but as a congregation of broken sinners who have wasted away under the weight of our sin. We come together, not to display how strong and good we are, but to confess together our desperate need for Jesus Christ again and again. The congregation of the redeemed is the only place to safely confess our sins. Psalm 32:5 states, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” We gather to confess.

8 - We Need the Receive the Hope of forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

As we confess our sins, we are reminded of the Christ Who took all our sins to the cross. Psalm 32 goes on saying, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said,“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” Psalm 130 also reminds us that “with the LORD there is plentiful redemption” for our sins.”

9 - We Need to Be Watched Over.

Christian faith is personal, but it is not private. God places us under the watchcare of other Christians (Heb. 3:12) and of our shepherding Elders (Heb. 13:17). God instructs us to know others and be known by them, and to be submissive to those shepherds He appoints over us (1 Pt. 5). One of the titles God gives Pastors is that of “Overseer” (1 Tim. 3:1). That’s because pastors oversee the church, which is primarily the congregation of souls.

10 - We need Our Heads and Hearts Oriented for the Week Ahead.

Sunday morning is the first day of the week. It's how God decorates our lives for the week ahead. And there is no better way to set the course for the week than by gathering with the congregation of God for Song, Prayer, Word, and Table. The Sunday gathering of God’s people is meant to orient our heads and hearts for another week of life in a broken world. God is redeeming the world this week. I need that reminder … and so do you.